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Around the Library with Smithy

Around the Library with Smithy

What is so special about the Special Collections?

13 September 2017

The idea of working with one employer for a long time seems uncommon these days, so when I say I have worked at the Library for 16 years, people tend to be surprised. But before things slip into a “boring old public servant” discussion I always hasten to add that within this time I have done many jobs, in varied work environments.

Such is the unexpected variety of working in Australia’s largest library.

The benefits of such a journey can be seen in the range of materials you work with and the stories they can tell. One great example is that of aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897-1935), better known as 'Smithy'. In an era when long distance air travel was the latest frontier of adventure, an adoring public closely followed his exploits and globe trotting fame.

To find out about Smithy you come to a library to read a book. Right?

This is partly true as all manner of books on him are held in the collection, however, as any good librarian would say, libraries are more than just books.

Maps

My first stop in landing at the Library was the Maps Collection. There is an old cartographers quote, “if a picture is worth a thousand words, a map is worth a thousand pictures”. In other words, a map can tell a story.

Kingsford Smith’s exploits were inherently geographic, as maps were used to create and follow his journeys. The Maps Collection has a set of maps used by Kingsford Smith to navigate the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1928. They have the course computations jotted down and the flying route laid out in pencil and ink (no GPS, Satnav or Google Maps to do the work for you back then). Even some spilt ink stains, from turbulence, just as navigator Harry Lyon was refilling his fountain pen. These are the working documents of a great historical event, used by the participants as it unfolded.

RM 2811/5 Chart 527 North Pacific Ocean eastern part in Navigation charts used by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in the 1928 crossing of the Pacific. nla.cat-vn181369

Pictures

The Pictures Collection has an image of almost everything and anything Australian, much of it digitised and viewable online.

Kingsford Smith featured in all manner of photographic and artistic creations. Photos of crowds welcoming him upon landing, official portraits, views of his planes, characterised sketches done in admiration; all tell his story through images rather than words.

Aviator Charles Kingsford Smith standing on a car waving to the crowd after his arrival, Mascot, NSW, 1930. nla.cat-vn6266666

The Pictures Collection also houses realia – three dimensional objects that you would normally expect in a museum. Kingsford Smith’s air force flying jacket and uniform are here, giving a unique physical presence to his story.

Then there is the one item I think has the best story of all. It is worthy of a blog all to itself, but the short version is a smelly briefcase that saved the lives of Smithy and his crew.

Manuscripts

Personal papers in the Manuscripts Collection were not always intended to be kept forever, but by being personal they can tell a more intimate story.

The collection houses papers of Kingsford Smith himself, some of his flying partners such as Charles Ulm and P.G. Taylor, as well as aviation researchers such as Ernest Crome. They include logbooks, correspondence from family and fans, as well as radio messages to and from the plane.

Most interesting are written notes passed between the crew while flying, as the noise on board was too loud for conversations to be heard. While most are comments on flying technicalities you can sometimes see emotions coming through such as humour, boredom and stress, but also a sense of their achievement.

Message passed between crew, Log kept on Southern Cross flight during the 1st crossing of the Pacific, May/June 1928 in Papers of Ernest and Virtie Crome MS 1925, Series 1, Item 1. nla.cat-vn742484

Buried in a manuscripts box is the one special item that started the story – Kingsford Smith’s application for a pilot’s licence in 1921.

A journey such as this may take time and effort, but that can be half the reward and we are here to help you through the Library's Ask a Librarian service. By exploring the full scope of the Library and the informative, rare and unique materials in the Special Collections you can uncover many more sides to a story.

My father was at Eagle Farm, Brisbane when Smithy and crew landed after journey from Fiji in 1928. He had painted a very large sign "Welcome Home Smithy". After the rowd had largely dispersed, Smithy came over and introduced himself to my Dad as he was rolling up the canvas sign. He invited my father to come to Mascot anytime he was in Sydney. My father was in Sydney in 1932 for opening of Harbour Bridge, visited Smithy who promptly took him for a joyride over the city and the bridge.